Seven Years Ago Today

Posted on 8 June 2013 by valaida

With a roomful of 60 people to generate ideas and momentum, seven years ago today, 17 of us embarked on what was the founding of the giving circle New Generation of African American Philanthropists, also known as, NGAAP-Charlotte.

A great deal has occurred since our first gathering on June 8, 2006 at The Wadsworth Estate. The giving circle has ten additional members and we expect to add even more. Through grants, community service, civic engagement and leadership, NGAAP-Charlotte has invested close to $200,000 to nonprofits and the broader community to help create the change we wish to see. Our mission is: To promote philanthropy—the giving of time, talent and treasure—among African Americans in the Charlotte region, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life within our communities.

Below are members of NGAAP-Charlotte since 2006. The asterisks (*) indicate the 17 founding members.

Men Tchaas Ari*
Renee L. Bradford*
Heather Carty Ward*
Deborah Charles*
Rashad Davis*
Tonya Edwards
Dawn Fisher
Ed Franklin
Diatra Fullwood*
Valaida Fullwood*
Melandee Jones
Ohmar Land*
Eric Law*
Tameka Lester*
Clarence Lyons
Patricia Martelly*
Fontella McKyer*
Jennifer Miles
Vernetta Mitchell*
Cathy Peterson*
Meka Sales
Jenene Seymour*
Jehan Shamsid-Deen*
Idris Talib
Annette Taylor*
Charles W. Thomas, Jr.
Keysha Walker

Members of NGAAP-Charlotte | Photograph by Charles W. Thomas, Jr.

Year-End Message from New Generation of African American Philanthropists

Posted on 7 December 2012 by valaida

Thankful 365: A Year-End Message from New Generation of African American Philanthropists

Members of NGAAP-Charlotte | Photograph by Charles W. Thomas, Jr.

Without people like you, this year’s accomplishments would simply not have been possible. So we have something to say. In fact, we believe it cannot be said enough.

T H A N K Y O U !

You’re part of an extended circle who shares our passion for giving back. By investing our social capital, financial capital and intellectual capital, collectively, we are igniting a movement of conscientious philanthropy by empowering a generation to recognize its power and responsibility to give back.

High points from New Generation of African American Philanthropists over the last 12 months include:

6th anniversary of the NGAAP-Charlotte giving circle
Giving Back named winner of the 2012 McAdam Book Award, as the best new book for the nonprofit sector, and listed among the “10 Best Black Books“
Release of [ philanthropy reframed ], new voice, new vibe, new video
Broad media coverage while reframing portraits of philanthropy, like here
Civic engagement and dialogue in 17 communities with 5000+ people
New circle members and new connections to circles in Charlotte and nationwide

We’re excited about how our giving circle is growing and serving and how the Giving Back Project is unfolding. We look forward to deepening our impact and engaging givers in new ways. You are invited to be a part of this work in 2013.

Happy Holidays!

New Generation of African American Philanthropists

#getyourgiveon

A Richer Picture

Posted on 23 June 2012 by valaida

Charles W. Thomas Jr., photographer

Philanthropy has long been narrowly defined by great wealth and large monetary gifts. Consequently, prevailing stories about giving often exclude the generosity of people of modest and average means. Timeworn “philanthropist” stories further feed false ideas about who’s concerned about issues, who has something of value to give, who matters and who’s needed to affect change.

The Giving Back Project reframes portraits of philanthropy to present a richer picture. It’s a civic engagement campaign that uses photography and storytelling from a broad spectrum of givers to show how generosity can build community and then transform communities. This groundbreaking work, led by New Generation of African American Philanthropists, is now up for a 2012 CLASSY Award for “Most Effective Awareness Campaign by a Charity.”

The CLASSY Awards is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, celebrating the greatest charitable achievements by nonprofit organizations, socially conscious businesses, and individuals worldwide. In 2011, nearly 2,000 organizations and volunteers were nominated for a CLASSY Award, and their collective efforts impacted the lives of more than 200,000,000 people in 71 countries worldwide.

You can help the Giving Back Project generate some buzz by sharing this link to the Achievement Page via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, G+, your blog, email, etc. Just help us get the word out! Use the hashtag, #classyawards. Further details about the selection process can be found here. If the project advances as a finalist, then you will be urged to cast a vote during the crowd-sourcing phase.

Charles W. Thomas Jr., photographer

Literary arts and photography, music and spoken-word poetry, and digital media and social networking compose the Giving Back Project are used in reframing philanthropy. These multimedia offerings help enlighten and engage diverse audiences in communities across the country. The book Giving Back is a centerpiece of an overall campaign that is leading people to rethink and re-imagine the power of their giving.

Ultimately, the Giving Back Project aims to ignite a movement of conscientious philanthropy by empowering a generation of Americans to recognize their power and responsibility to give back. — VF

‘An Unquenchable Faith’

Posted on 9 June 2012 by valaida

Members of New Generation of African American Philanthropists

Charles W. Thomas Jr, photographer

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” — Gandhi

Six years. I still can’t quite believe this week marks six years since we set out to create a giving circle that would eventually become known as New Generation of African American Philanthropists. Scrolling through the slideshow of photographs below brings credence to the span of time and experiences from the start of our journey together, June 2006.

Much like a book club or investment club, a giving circle is made up of people who have common interests and shared values. In our case, we’re interested in contributing to positive change in our community. We’ve decided to pool our charitable dollars to award grants to nonprofit organizations having a desirable impact on large numbers of African American children, families and neighborhoods.

Our Soul | who we are
A giving circle that’s giving back

Our Mind | what we envision
A healthy, safe and prosperous community for African Americans to live, work and flourish

Our Heart | why we care 
Inextricable ties to past, present and future generations

Our Hands | how we work
Promoting philanthropy—the giving of time, talent and treasure—among African Americans with the goal of enhancing the quality of life within our communities.

Founded in 2006 by a group of nearly 20 donor-members, New Generation of African American Philanthropists or, for short, NGAAP-Charlotte aspires to have an impact in Charlotte and beyond. Our grantmaking, community service and civic engagement activities have helped us build new relationships, strengthen existing connections and influenced our development as leaders, advocates, philanthropists and change-makers.

Here’s a numerical account of our six-year exploration of new ways, new ideas and new paths to making a difference:

1 dollar a day, at least, per year committed by members
5 years of member participation at planning retreats, leadership summits and conferences
6 nonprofits awarded grants to advance their missions
11 sponsoring partners, to date, on the Giving Back Project
13 connections to other CIN giving circles comprising donors of color, nationwide
17 founding members
18 months dedicated to starting up the circle with a thoughtful, sustainable plan
22 people pledged participation as members since the circle’s founding
40 media stories on collective giving & inclusive philanthropy, featuring NGAAP-Charlotte
72 months of pursuing a collective vision and mission
200 Black donors engaged to provide content for the book Giving Back
250 towel sets donated to men seeking shelter and comforts of home
365 book pages of stories and photography to reframe portraits of philanthropy
2200 audience members across 11 cities, 7 states engaged via the Giving Back Project
3000 social media connections via Twitter and Facebook
5500 volunteer hours…likely more…devoted to community service by circle members
10,000 dollars awarded to Jacobs Ladder, our largest single grant yet
40,000 dollars distributed in grants
100,000 dollars invested in reframing portraits of philanthropy

Through the Giving Back Project’s book development and community engagement campaign, members of NGAAP-Charlotte are reframing portraits of philanthropy. The circle ventures to reclaim the root meaning of philanthropy—love of humankind—by celebrating African American history and traditions. The group explores new as well as time-honored ways of giving and embraces a definition of philanthropy that encompasses gifts of not only money, but also time, energy and intellect.

Our collective work aims ultimately to ignite a movement of conscientious philanthropy by empowering a generation to recognize their power and responsibility to give back. Join our work by becoming a member or starting your own giving circle and by committing to philanthropy that’s strategic, inclusive and responsive.

DONOR-MEMBERS (2006-2012)

Men Tchaas Ari
Renee L. Bradford
Heather Carty Ward
Deborah Charles
Rashad Davis
Tonya Edwards
Dawn Fisher
Ed Franklin
Diatra Fullwood
Valaida Fullwood
Melandee Jones
Ohmar Land
Eric Law
Tameka Lester
Patricia Martelly
Fontella McKyer
Jennifer Miles
Vernetta Mitchell
Cathy Peterson
Meka Sales
Jenene Seymour
Jehan Shamsid-Deen
Annette Taylor

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valaida

musings of an idea whisperer

Tag Archives: civic engagement

Seven Years Ago Today

Year-End Message from New Generation of African American Philanthropists

‘An Unquenchable Faith’

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